Art and theater reviews covering Seattle to Olympia, Washington, with other art, literature and personal commentary.
If you want to ask a question about any of the shows reviewed here please email the producing venue (theater or gallery) or email me at alec@alecclayton.com. If you post questions in the comment section the answer might get lost.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

TAO’s two takes on Reservoir Dogs

The men. Photo courtesy Andy Kuna

Theater Artists Olympia has taken
on some tough challenges. This one has paid off in great performances, excited
audiences, and lots of blood and gore. It is also — at least in the early
scenes — a laugh riot. The play is based on the Quentin
Tarantino movie and directed by Pug Bujeaud, and they are doing two versions:
one with an all-male cast and one with an all-female cast. I should not have to
warn those who are familiar with Tarantino’s work that it is filled with profane
language, including sexist and homophobic remarks and the most offensive of
racial slurs. And there is more graphic violence in this play than in any play
I’ve seen, with the possible exception of TAO’s Titus Andronicus, which was
also directed by Bujeaud.

The women. Photo courtesy Andy Kuna

There is sometimes a fine line
between art and pornography, and Reservoir Dogs is art. It is outstanding art.On a very limited budget and in a
tiny performance space, this cast and crew have created riveting theater. The
set designed by Marko Bujeaud and Michael Christopher (who plays Blonde in the
male cast) consists of a table top, some chairs and some moveable boxes with
everything painted a dull battleship gray. This stark set enhances the gritty
action, as does the videography by Two Bards Productions and the great ’70s
music. The shatteringly climactic scene is choreographed to “Stuck in the
Middle With You,” choreography by Christian Doyle.There is no way I can single out
every actor whose performance deserves recognition, because they all do. I will
mention a few whose acting is extraordinary.In the female cast Jennifer
Rifenbery is cold as ice as Blonde. Her acting is the epitome of self-contained
energy. Whereas Rifenbery’s Blonde comes across as calculating and evil,
Heather Christopher’s Pink is a wisecracking, smartass, streetwise broad who
doesn’t put up with anything, doesn’t trust anyone, and flies off the handle at
the slightest provocation. Christopher’s acting is a joy to watch.Heather Cantrell as Nice Guy
Eddie and Dana Galagan as Jo are both explosive, and Kate Ayers plays White as
a pent-up bundle of nerves. This whole female cast is
deserving of an award for ensemble work. So is the male cast. The differences between the
all-female and all-male casts are subtle but fascinating to observe. Like Rifenbery
in the female cast, Michael Christopher plays Blonde as a cool customer, but
his performance is more humorous. Both are chilling in meting out calm and
measured mayhem, but Christopher does it with maniacal glee. Similarly,
Christian Doyle and Cheyanne Logan are each convincing as the gut-shot Orange
and turn in powerful performances in the climactic scenes, but in the earlier
scenes Doyle plays it with sly humor and Logan is more naturalistic. Brian
Jansen’s Pink makes Heather Christopher’s Pink look even more manic by
comparison; Jansen’s Pink is more subtle but equally funny. Mentioning these
differences in approach is not in any way to imply that one is better than the
other. They are all excellent, and each brings something unique to the stage.Other outstanding performances by
the men were those of, Tim Shute as Joe, and Tim Samland as Holdaway.Doing both a male and a female
version was Bujeaud’s idea, and it was brilliant. Unless you are easily
offended by excessive cursing and violence you really should get yourself down
to The Midnight Sun and see this play. If possible, take in both. There are
discounts for the double feature, the "Gender-Blender Special."

Check
out the video “Get a Sneak Peek at the cast” by stage manager, Vanessa Postil.

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About Me

I am an artist and writer. My paintings are shown primarily in galleries in Tacoma and Olympia, Washington. I write an art review column and arts features for the Weekly Volcano, a community theater review column for The (Tacoma) News Tribune and regular arts features for Thurston Talk (Olympia).
My published novels are:Return to Freedom, Reunion at the etside, The Backside of Nowhere, The Wives of Marty Winters, Imprudent Zeal and Until the Dawn. I've also published a book on art, As If Art Matters. All are available on amazon.com and http://www.claytonworkspublishing.com.
I grew up in Tupelo and Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and have been living in the Pacific Northwest since 1988 where I am active in many progressive organizations such as PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).